Sermon 08-31-14 - Vocation

In today's sermon, we learned about Vocation that grew from the Reformation.  Martin Luther said that all work is Holy and serves God.

Ice Breaker:  Go around the group and share what job you have.  How did you pick the job you have?  Was it from a sense of calling?  Was it based on your abilities?  Was it opportunity?  How much do you believe God's had was in your career?  How does your job tie into sustaining the world?

Question 1:  What are some of your primary callings in life?   For example, one of your primary callings might be as a husband or wife. How does your job tie into those?

Question 2:  What work do you do outside of your job to fulfill your primary calling?

Digging deeper

Question 3:  What would life look life if you didn't have a calling in your life?  Is "Making as much money as I can" a calling? How?  How not?

Question 4:  In Isaiah 45, Cyrus was a great leader of the Persian empire who rebuilt the temple for the Jews.   If God used Cyrus, a non-Jew, to rebuild the temple, what does that say about how God uses people in this world? Read James 1:16-17. What does this mean?

Question 5:  One used to hear stories about single mothers who worked two jobs to give their children an education.  How does having a call affect your job? Does it make it easier to do the job?  How important is a calling?

Capitalism in its basic form is the use of capital (money) to create mutually win-win transactions in a complex society.  Before the invention of money, this was difficult.  Say you made ropes for a living.  And the person next door made bread. You might go to that person and create a transaction that you would trade one rope for 5 loaves of bread.  You would both win because you would both get something that you desired by getting rid of something that you may have had a surplus of.  That works as long as all you need in life is bread.  But once society gets more complex you need money to create mutually win-win transactions.  People today can specialize in one tiny aspect of society.

Question 6:  Is it true that every (legal or ethical) job serves God and society?  Can you think of a job that doesn't?  Why?